Fire-escape.



1. MURTAGH. FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED IULYI, IBM.

1 175,654.. Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

I50 26 28 'i'f-jr. 25 29 22 27 I WITNESS IN I/E/V TOR THE COLUMBIA PLA JOHRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON, D. c

JAMES MURTAGH, OF KILTAMAGH, IRELAND.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

Application filed July 1, 1914. Serial No. 848,510.

T o'aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Janus MURTAGH, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Kiltamagh, in the county of Mayo, Ireland, have invented an Improvement in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

Th s invention relates to fire escapes, and particularly to portable. fire escapes, and the apparatus made in accordance therewith preferably comprises a frame member, .a revoluble drum mounted therein, a member to which the frame may be suitably connected for support, and devices associated with the said frame and actuated manually by the person operating the fire escape to frictionally regulate the revoluble movement of the drum, and hence the speed of descent, as will be hereinafter more particularly described.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is an elevation and partial longitudinal cross section of a portable fire escape made in accordance with my present invention, the section be ing taken on line 1, 1, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation of the apparatus as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3, 3, Fig. 1, and Fig. 1 is a crcss section on the line 1, 4, Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, my improved fire escape preferably comprises a revoluble drum 1 provided at its respective ends with flanges 2, within which the brake shoes 3 are located, as hereinafter described.

4, 4:, represent disks provided with flanges by which the same are mounted on the projecting extremities of the drum 1. Supporting arms 22, forming part of the frame, are suitably connected to the disks 4 by means of screws 5 and nuts 6, or otherwise. The bearing surface between the flanges of the disks 4 and these projections of the drum are indicated at 7.

Each disk 4 is maintained in position relatively to the drum by a washer 3 and a nut 9, turned down against the 'asher on a pin which extends from the end of the projection from the drum. I also employ levers 12 arranged in pairs, and at their corresponding ends connected to the disks 4 by pins 10 and nuts 11. Each pin 10 is integral with or secured to a dog 19, which lies against the'inner surface of a disk 4, and each lever 12 is suitably and rigidly connected to its pin 10 so that the pinand dcg move or swing therewith. The members of otherwise.

and consequently also the ptsticns of the 1 pairs of'dcgs 19 associated therewith.

At their lower or free ends, the levers 12 may be provided with eyes or openings 18, by which a suitable carriage or other appa 'atus for a passenger may be secured thereto.

The brake shoes 3, as hereinbefore stated,

lie within the flanges 2, and each brake shoepreferably comprises a div.ded ring of steel or other suitable material, which, adjacent its ends, is provided with lugs or projections 20 adapted to be received in recesses provided therefor in the dogs 19, and each brake shoe is made with a lug 21, having an aperture therein, through which the screw 5 also passes in order to secure a brake shoe to each disk 4:.

- The lower end of each frame arm 22b; indicated at 23, and as hereinbefore described, this end of each arm is connected to a disk e by a screw 5 and nut 6, which also secures thereto one of the brake shoes. The opposite or outer end of each frame arm 22 is indicated at 21. Extending between the outer ends 24: of the frame arms 22 is a bearing block 25. This is secured in position between the outer ends of the frame arms 22 by means of nuts 28 and pins 29, or In the block 25 are rollers or pulleys 26, mounted on pins 27, which. as will be understood, are suitably secured in the block.

30 indicates a cable or rope, which, at one end, is secured to and wound upon the drum 1 and passes between the rollers 26 in the block 25, and at its opposite end is secured in an eye 31 in the head 36 of a shock absorber de ice. the body of which is indicated at 33. Within the body of the shock absorber is a. plunger or piston 05, secured to a rod 31-, which passes through one end of the body member 33. extending between which and the said piston, and surrounding the rod, is a spring 32, by means of which, as will be understood, the parts are ma1ntained in their normal positions, as indicated in Fig. l of the drawing. Exteriorly of the body member 33 of the shock absorber, an eye member 37 is swiveled to the end of the rod 3i and is connected to a hook so by means of a link 39, or otherwise.

In the operation of the hereinbefore described apparatus, the hook l may be placed over a suitable support, and the apparatus suspended for use for the escape of persons from burning buildings, and otherwise, the positicns of the pairs of levers 12 being controlled by the person descending in the fire escape, to determine the frictional contact between the brake shoes 3 and the flanges 2, the bearing surfaces between which are indicated at l. Obviously, when the hand wheel 17 and rod 16 are turned to force the pairs of levers l2 apart, the dogs 19 are turned outwardly, or away from each other, as viewed 1n Fig. 3, to increase the friction between the brake shoes and the flanges 2 and reduce the revoluble movement of the drum 1,,and consequently the speed of descent, whereas by turning the hand wheel 17 and rod 16 in the opposite direction to bring the pairs of levers 12 closer together, the dogs 19 will be turned toward one another, as viewed in Fig. 3, to decrease the frictional resistance between the surfaces'of the,

shoe brakes and flanges-2, thereby increasing the revoluble movement of the drum 1 and consequently the speed of the descent.

I claim as my invention.

1. A fire. escape comprising arevoluble drum, external disks in which said drum is mounted, arms forming a suspending device connected at corresponding ends to said external disks, a block connected to the oppositej'ends of said arms, guide rollers in the said-block, a cable connected to and extending fromisaid drum throu h said guide rollers, brake-shoes co-acting-between said disks and drum, levers connected to and depend-- ngv from the said disks and adapted to support a passenger-carrying. apparatus, and.

means actuatedby said dependinglevers for operating said brake-shoes.

2.. A. fire escape comprising a drum,

flanges at the respective ends thereof, disks in; which the said drum is revolubly mount flanges at the respectivev ends thereof, disks.

in which the said drum is revolubly mount-' ed, support arms connected to and extend-v ing from the said disks, abrake shoe con-v nected to each disk and adapted to contact with the inner surface of the adjacent flange of the drum, levers in pairs depending from,

the said disks, dogs in pairs engaging the respective ends of the said brake shoes and connected to the said levers to turn there-' with, and a rod extending between and connected to the said pairs of levers for deter-.

mining the'relative positions thereof for operating the said brake shoes to control the revoluble movement of the said drum. 7

l. A fire escape comprising a drum, flanges at the respective ends thereof, disks in which the'said drum is revolubly mounted, support arms connected to and extending from the said disks, a pulley block'extending between and'connected to the corresponding. ends of the said arms, a suspen-- sion device, a cable connected at one-end to.

the saidsuspension device and passing through the rollers in the said block and secured at liZS'OPPOSltiGIlClSItO the said drum, a brake shoe connectedto each" diskand adapted to contact with the inner-surface; of the adjacent flange of the drum, levers;

in pairs depending from the said'disks, dogs inpairs engaging the respective-ends of the; said brake shoes and connected to the said levers to turn therewith, and a rod extend: ing between andconnected to thesaid pairs of levers: for determiningthe relative positions thereof for operating the said brake. shoes to. control the revoluble.movement of the said. drum.

Signed by me this 18th-day of June,

JAM SMUR AGH l/Vitnesses-z VVILLIAM E. DOYLE,v

JOHN FLCLAFFEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtainemfor five cents each, by addressing-the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washingt0n,uD.U. I 

